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Tuesday, May 03, 2005
Against all current societal trends for homes that have women in them, we have a scale.
It's nothing fancy. It was purchased at some discount department store and sits out in the garage. My favorite part of stepping on it is the way the metal circle that has the pounds on it spins around like crazy when you first step on the scale, and then it bounces back and forth until my weight it displayed underneath the permanent red line.
There is a really fancy one at the health club I belong to. It works by moving the two weights on these metal bars to keep the point of the metal bars balanced. You slide the bottom one in increments of fifty pounds, and the top one moves in one pound increments. They have the same one in my doctor's office.
In both cases, before I've stepped on the scale, the scale hasn't been exactly at "0." The home scale might be registering a pound or two even though there's nothing on it. The one at the health club, when both weights are on zero, isn't balanced at all. Since you're generally looking for accuracy when you're trying to get your weight figured out, this has to be fixed.
On my home scale, there's a little knob at the top of it that you can turn and it will help bring the empty scale back to zero. I'm not sure how it works at the health club, but I've heard they have to pay a guy.
There's a big word for re-setting the scales: It's called "recalibration." The dictionary defines this as "readjusting precisely for a particular function." And, it's very important if you want accuracy in whatever it is you're trying to fix.
And Jesus did it after his unbelievable day we looked at yesterday from Matthew 14.
His tough day started out with the discovery of his close family member John the Baptist's gruesome and vindictive death. He wanted to grieve...to feel...to think...about all that entailed, and we learn in verse 13 that he withdrew from the crowds and and went to a lonely place. We learn in Mark 6 they chose to get on a boat and get out of the city.
However, word was spreading about this guy doing all sorts of miraculous things out there and a crowd followed the boat from the shore.
Jesus wanted to grieve, but, moved with compassion in verse 14, He went ashore and "healed their sick."
Now, it's obvious that it wasn't that simple. It isn't like he rowed the boat in, hopped out of the water, healed a few folks, and rowed back out. People aren't like that...I mean, if you see a miracle, you aren't likely to simply say, "thanks" and then take it to the house. Nope, you're more likely to create a stir and a buzz and the crowd is going to be VERY interested in the proceedings whether or not they believe it.
And Jesus took the opportunity to teach. He worked all day, and then as we read in verse 15, the disciples told him to send everybody home. It was late. They were out in the wilderness. These hungry people need to get food...so...send them home.
Jesus would have none of that. He took the five loaves and two fishes and fed five thousand men (not including the women and children). He fed them all.
And in response, the people, if we read John's account, wanted to make Him king at that point. Can you blame them? I mean, how many days do you spend all day watching a guy heal sick people and then somehow, someway, throw a gargantuan banquet for a high-school football-sized stadium of people (well, high school sized here in Texas)? There was something special about Him, and well, apparently he could back up His Messianic claims...so, let's overthrow the government and get on with Kingdom business, right?
Can you imagine what Jesus was going through? His day started with awful news. Now, a crowd wants to make Him their King. Emotionally, he'd had a rough day...and I'd think there would be a certain appeal in a crowd fawning all over you.
So, what does He do?
He recalibrates.
In verse 23: "And, after He had sent the multitudes away, He went up to the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone."
He didn't take the disciples...in fact, He sent them away.
He got away from the cheering crowds...in fact, He sent them away.
Then he climbed a mountain. Alone.
And He prayed.
I'd imagine He recalibrated the events of that day with the perspective of His Heavenly Father. The plan of the Father for John. The reality that this was NOT the time His Kingdom would come. The work He was sent here to do. He was readjusting precisely for the work that was before Him.
And we need to do the same thing.
So, for today, where is the place you go to recalibrate? How often do you? What are the difficulties in making enough time to do it?
Brent 4:24 AM
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